MSP wants ban on smoking in cars carrying children

A bid to make smoking in vehicles when children are present illegal is being launched by an MSP.

South of Scotland Liberal Democrat MSP Jim Hume wants to introduce a members bills at the Scottish Parliament which would bring in a ban.

He is opening a public consultation on his proposals which he says would safeguard the rights of children.

He is being supported by organisations including ASH Scotland and the British Lung Foundation.

The British Lung Foundation has previously urged Scottish politicians to do more to stop people smoking in cars when children are passengers.

In 2011, a Scottish study suggested air quality inside a smoker’s car was comparable to industrial smog in cities such as Beijing or Moscow – even when the driver had windows open.

Speaking ahead of the launch of his consultation, Mr Hume said: “Passive smoking is entirely avoidable and a private vehicle is one of the few places a child can still be legally exposed to tobacco smoke.

“I want to change this so that we can better safeguard the rights of children in Scotland and give them the healthiest start in life.

“I’ll be making that case to MSPs today when I launch the consultation, but I hope that people and organisations from across Scotland will have their say.

“Countries such as Canada, Australia and some states in the USA have already taken this step. I know that attitudes to smoking have changed dramatically even over the past ten years, but if this can improve a single child’s health I think it is a step we need to take.”

The consultation will run until August after which Mr Hume must get cross-party support to take the proposals further.

Source BBC News